With Dick Morris recently released from his punditry duties on Fox News, many critics have questioned whether the network, long criticized for acting as an extension of the GOP, is trying to soften its conservative image. Conservatives aren't the only ones in trouble, though, as Democratic Senator Bob Menendez continues his battle with the media. On Monday, Menendez told CNN's Chief Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash that the news website The Daily Caller was "a right wing blog" that was smearing his reputation with "totally unsubstantiated" lies. Until recently, the mainstream media had largely stayed away from the sex scandal claims, but as journalists dug deeper, they discovered the Garden State senator might be mixed up with other conduct claims that are questionable in nature. Lauren Ashburn, Editor-in-chief of Daily-download.com, The New Yorker's Washington Correspondent Ryan Lizzaand George Washington University's Professor of Media and Public Affairs Steve Robertsjoin Howie at the table to debate. They'll also discuss the media's mockery of Chris Christie's health and the unusual media connection to the manhunt for Los Angeles ex-police officer Christopher J. Dorner.

soundoff(15 Responses)

Dick Morris should not have been given so much time on today's show. Kurtz should have talked about Obama's secret kill list and, as someone said above, waterboarding vs. drone attacks and the media reaction to them (Bush vs. Obama).

Ryan Lizza was talking out of his...hat. When he said a bunch of Fox News talkers were predicting a Romney blowout, he was wrong. Morris was the only one who predicted a blowout. Other pundits and analysts (Sean Hannity, Karl Rove, Michael Barone) were predicting Romney would win, but they all said it would be very close. Other people like Bill O'Reilly refused to offer a prediction.

It's a joke the mainstream media will go an criticize Chris Christie's health which they have no right to do, and isn't news to begin with; however they won't run anything about Bob Menedez traveling to South America to party with underage prostitutes, I mean he said it right above that the mainstream media was staying away from the story.

Reliable sources,What do these sources say about obama selling arms to Syria rebels , What do they say about the tanking economy,what do they say about stock market welfare – Printingof money. What do they say about Trillion dollar deficit. Christys weight your kidding right.

How about Steve's blind spot–he talks about Cristie's inability to lose weight and therefore it may be a character flaw. How about the smoking epidemic in America which absolutely trumps national costs of obesity. Obama cannot quick smoking but he's Steve's guy and thereby gets a free pass? He's lucky that he married up.

Steve Roberts's and Lauren Ashburn's specific comments about Gov. Christie's weight and its relevance for evaluating his or anyone else's desirability as a leader deserves immediate critical attention. This is an almost pure manifestation of typical inside the Beltway prejudice that passes for innocuous punditry. Their discussion today went from the Governor's reaction to criticism about his weight to their making a value judgement about his appropriateness to lead based upon aspects of his body. If Christie was a woman or a minority or if he reflected any other politically connected special interest group, think we would have heard this? This form of discrimination and the ease with which the Chattering Class dishes our their put-downs deserves to be debated.

Put the estimable Candy Crowley on this one. I dare Steve and Lauren to cross swords with her on this in front of the rest of us. She might eat them alive. Funny, but only because we have been rendered insensitive by this hurtful culture that prizes less pulchritude and a wrong-headed desire for immortality.

February 10, 2013 at 11:57 am |

John van Dalen

Ryan Lizza, did you predict SANDY?
The spread in the presidential vote was so slight that SANDY may well have tipped the result.
Steve Roberts, did you predict SANDY? "Dick Morris is a buffoon"? Get serious.
Repubicans lost the election. That's true Ryan. But again, look at the margin. If Obama had not covered up the scandal in Libya he very well may have lost the presidency. If the election had been held a month later, SANDY victims would have voted out of their frustration of the aftermath rather than their hope that Obama would come to their rescue. This election was so fickle that Libya and Sandy were THE factors to swing the vote. Obama better get that straight before he ramrods any more crap down our throats.

Roberts is not wrong about Morris but it is a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black. Of course journalists want the GOP to 'moderate" and "compromise", in other words, accept Democratic policies part and parcel, especially "comprehensive immigration reform" which, as it now stands, is amnesty without enforcement again!

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Brian Stelter is the host of "Reliable Sources" and the senior media correspondent for CNN Worldwide. Before he joined CNN in November 2013, Stelter was a media reporter for The New York Times. He is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Top of the Morning."